JPH0950859A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly insert an insulation member in space between a shortcircuit terminal fitting and a connection terminal fitting. SOLUTION: A male connector housing 10 is provided with a guide member 16, and a shortcircuit terminal fitting 30 is provided with a guided part 38. When both of male and female connector housings 10 and 20 are coupled to each other, the guided part 38 is first engaged with the guide member 16, and the shortcircuit terminal fitting 30 is elastically displaced in a direction parting from the connection terminal fitting 21, according to the slope of the guide surface 17 of the guide member 16. Then, the insulation member 15 enters a gap between the shortcircuit terminal fitting 30 and the connection terminal fitting 21.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector in which terminal fittings of one connector housing are short-circuited when the connector housings that can be fitted to each other are separated from each other.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art This type of connector is used, for example, in a circuit for operating an air bag of an automobile, and in order to prevent malfunction of the air bag when the connector housings are separated and the circuit is opened for maintenance or the like. The terminal fittings of one connector housing are short-circuited. The specific structure of such a connector is as follows. One of the pair of connector housings provided with connecting terminal fittings that can be connected to each other is used for short-circuiting so as to elastically contact the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of connecting terminal fittings. The terminal fitting is mounted, and the other connector housing is provided with an insulating member that is inserted between the connecting terminal fitting and the short-circuiting terminal fitting as the two connector housings are fitted together. Then, when the connector housings are separated, the short-circuiting terminal fittings elastically contact the plurality of connecting terminal fittings to short-circuit the connecting terminal fittings. As a result, the short-circuiting terminal fitting is separated from the connecting terminal fitting, so that the short circuit between the connecting terminal fittings is released.

[0003]

When both connector housings are fitted to each other in such a conventional connector, the insulating member directly engages the short-circuiting terminal fitting and forcibly bends it against elasticity. In spite of this, it is forced to dive into the narrow gap between the short-circuit terminal fitting and the connection terminal fitting. For this reason, the tip of the insulating member may abut the tip of the short-circuit terminal fitting, which may interfere with the fitting of the connector housing, or the short-circuit terminal fitting may be abnormally deformed.

The present invention was created in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to ensure that an insulating member can enter between a short-circuit terminal fitting and a connecting terminal fitting. It is a thing.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a pair of connector housings provided with connecting terminal fittings that can be connected to each other. When the two connector housings are separated, one connector housing is provided. The plurality of connecting terminal fittings are short-circuited by the elastic contact of the short-circuiting terminal fittings, and when both connector housings are in a fitted state, the insulating member provided in the other connector housing is used for short-circuiting with the connecting terminal fittings in one connector housing. In a connector in which the short circuit between the connecting terminal fittings is released by entering between the terminal fittings, the insulating member prevents the connecting terminal fittings and the short-circuiting terminal fittings from being engaged during the mating operation of both connector housings. Prior to entering the space between the terminals, the short-circuit terminal fitting is displaced in the direction in which it separates from the connection terminal fitting. Those having features to. In the invention of such a configuration, when the fitting operation of both connector housings is performed, first, a gap is opened between the short-circuit terminal fitting and the connecting terminal fitting, and then the insulating member is connected to the short-circuit terminal fitting and the connecting terminal. It will come in between the metal fittings. Therefore, there is no possibility that the fitting operation will be hindered or the short-circuiting terminal fitting will be abnormally deformed due to the direct engagement of the insulating member with the short-circuiting terminal fitting.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the invention of the first aspect, an insulating member is provided on the other connector housing between the connecting terminal fitting and the short-circuiting terminal fitting when the two connector housings are engaged with each other. Prior to entering, a guiding member that engages with the short-circuiting terminal fitting is provided, and this guiding member is formed with a guiding surface that is oblique to the fitting direction of both connector housings. The feature is that the guided portion that engages with the guiding surface is formed. In the invention of such a configuration, when the fitting operation of both connector housings is performed, first, the guided portion of the guiding member engages with the guiding surface of the guiding member to guide the short-circuiting terminal metal fitting so that the short-circuiting terminal metal fitting is guided. Then, the insulating member comes to enter between the short-circuit terminal fitting and the connecting terminal fitting. Therefore, there is no possibility that the fitting operation will be hindered or the short-circuiting terminal fitting will be abnormally deformed due to the direct engagement of the insulating member with the short-circuiting terminal fitting.

A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second aspect of the invention, the short-circuit terminal fitting is formed with a sliding surface that makes a smooth surface contact with the guide surface. Is. In the invention having such a configuration, the guide member and the guided portion are engaged by the smooth surface contact of the sliding surface.

[0008]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention,
Even if the insulating member is not directly engaged with the short-circuit terminal fitting, a gap is left between the short-circuit terminal fitting and the connecting terminal fitting. It is possible to make sure to enter between and.

According to the invention of claim 3, the guide member and the guided portion are engaged with each other by a smooth surface contact.
The guiding member is not caught on the angular cutting edge of the guided portion, and the displacement operation of the short-circuit terminal fitting is smoothly performed.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1 Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The connector of the present embodiment comprises a male connector housing 10 and a female connector housing 20 that can be fitted to each other, and both connector housings 10 and 20 have male connection terminal fittings 11 that can be connected to each other. A plurality of female connecting terminal fittings 21 are attached. The male connector housing 10 has a hood portion 12, and when the female connector housing 20 is fitted into the hood portion 12, the female connector housing 20
The lock arm 22 on the upper surface of the connector engages with the protrusion 13 on the upper surface of the hood portion 12 to lock both connector housings 10 and 20 in a fitted state, and the corresponding male terminal fitting 11 and female terminal fitting for connection. 21 are electrically connected to each other.

Eight of the female connecting terminal fittings 21 arranged in the lowermost stage form four pairs of adjacent ones. When the two connector housings 10 and 20 are separated from each other, the female connection of each pair is made. The terminal metal fittings 21, 21 are short-circuited with each other, and when the connector housings 10, 20 are in a fitted state, the short-circuiting of the female metal terminal fittings 21, 21 of each pair is released. Hereinafter, the short-circuit means will be described.

In the female connector housing 20, four short-circuit terminal fitting housing chambers 24 are formed so as to extend over the two cavities 23, 23 forming a pair further below the lowermost cavity 23. Communication holes 25, 25 communicating with the front end portions of the two cavities 23, 23 are formed in the top wall 28 of each short-circuit terminal fitting housing chamber 24, and the top wall between the communication holes 25, 25 is formed. The rib 26 is formed in a portion where a part of 28 is left. Further, on the bottom surface of the short-circuit terminal fitting housing chamber 24, the short-circuit terminal fitting 3
A holding projection 27 for positioning 0 is formed.

The short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is formed by bending an electrically conductive metal plate material,
From the flat bottom plate portion 31 that comes into contact with the bottom surface of the short-circuit terminal fitting housing chamber 24, the substantially semicircular bending portion 32 bent upward from the rear end edge of the bottom plate portion 31, and the upper end edge of the bending portion 32. A flat support portion 33 extending forward, and mutually parallel contact portions 34 extending obliquely upward in a state of bifurcating from a front end edge of the support portion 33 and further parallel to the bottom plate portion 31;
34 and a hanging portion 35 extending downward from the front end edge of each contact portion 34.

The bottom plate portion 31 has a short-circuit terminal metal accommodating chamber 24.
An attachment hole 36 that fits into the holding protrusion 27 is formed, and the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is positioned by fitting the holding protrusion 27 and the attachment hole 36. The support portion 33 faces the upper surface wall 28 with almost no gap therebetween, thereby preventing the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 from being removed. In a free state, the bifurcated contact portions 34 are accommodated in the communication holes 25 and separately face the inside of the cavity 23. The upper surface of each contact portion 34 has a little space inside the cavity 23. A boss 37 is formed that can come into contact with the female connecting terminal fitting 21 by protruding. Hanging part 3
5 has a shape in which the starting ends thereof are connected by a guided portion 38, and a guiding member 16 described later is engaged with the guided portion 38.

The short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is in a free state when the two connector housings 10 and 20 are separated from each other, and is placed against the lower surfaces of the pair of two female connecting terminal fittings 21 and 21 in the adjacent cavities 23 and 23. Two contact parts 34,
The bosses 37, 37 of 34 come into contact with each other, so that the female connecting terminal fittings 21, 21 are short-circuited. When both connector housings 10 and 20 are fitted together, the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 has the contact portion 34 formed by the guide member 16 and the contact portion 34 communicating with the communicating hole 25.
Is elastically bent downward to a position where the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is attached to both female connecting terminal fittings 21 and 2.
It is designed to be separated from 1.

On the other hand, in the male connector housing 10, four insulating members 15 and a guiding member 16 are formed so as to face the short-circuiting terminal fittings 30 from the rear end surface of the hood portion 12. The insulating member 15 is horizontal (short-circuit terminal metal housing chamber 2
4 is formed in a thin plate shape (parallel to the upper surface wall 28 of FIG. 4), and when both connector housings 10 and 20 are in a fitted state, they enter the short-circuit terminal fitting housing chamber 24 along the lower surface of the upper surface wall 28. There is. The protruding length of the insulating member 15 is set so as to cover the boss 37 of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 from above when the connector housings 10 and 20 are fitted together. Further, the width dimension is set so as to correspond to both of the two female connecting terminal fittings 21 and 21 forming a pair, and therefore, one insulating member 15 has a pair of female connecting terminal fittings 21 and 21. 21 and the contact portions 34, 34.

The guide member 16 projects from the rear end face of the hood portion 12 like the insulating member 15, and is formed continuously downward from the widthwise central position on the lower surface of the insulating member 15. The projecting length of the guide member 16 is set so as to project further than the insulating member 15, and when the two connector housings 10 and 20 are engaged with each other, the guide member 16 is guided before the tip of the insulating member 15. The tip of 16 reaches the short-circuit terminal fitting 30. Further, the guide member 16 is provided with the contact portions 34, 3 of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30.
4 and the both hanging parts 35, 35 are set to have a width dimension and an arrangement that can enter.

The lower surface of the guide member 16 is a guide surface 17 which is inclined with respect to the fitting direction of both connector housings 10 and 20 so as to rise toward the tip. The height of the tip of the guide surface 17 is set to a position higher than the height of the upper edge of the guided portion 38 of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 in the free state, and is the lowest on the rear end surface side of the hood portion 12. The height of the portion is set lower than the upper edge of the guided portion 38 in the free state. Therefore, as the two connector housings 10 and 20 are fitted together, the guide surface 1
7 engages with the guided portion 38 and pushes it downward.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When the two connector housings 10 and 20 are separated from each other, each short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is in a free state, and the branched contact portions 34 and 34 elastically contact the paired female connection terminal fitting 21. Therefore, the pair of female connecting terminal fittings 21 and 21 are short-circuited.

From this state, both connector housings 1
When 0 and 20 are fitted together, first, the tip of the guiding member 16 reaches the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 before the insulating member 15, and the guiding surface 17 engages with the guided portion 38. After that, when the fitting is further advanced, the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is elastically bent downward due to the inclination of the guiding surface 17 due to the engagement between the guiding surface 17 and the guided portion 38. Then, due to the elastic bending of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30, a gap is formed between the contact portion 34 and the upper surface wall 28, and then the insulating member 15 enters the gap. As a result, the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 and the female connecting terminal fitting 21 are isolated from each other by the insulating member 15, and the short-circuited state between the female connecting terminal fittings 21 and 21 is released.

As described above, in this embodiment, even if the insulating member 15 does not directly engage with the short-circuit terminal fitting 30, a gap is formed between the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 and the female connecting terminal fitting 21. The insulating member 15 is vacant and enters the vacant gap. Therefore, the insulating member 15 can be surely inserted between the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 and the female connecting terminal fitting 21, and the tip of the insulating member 15 abuts against the tip of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 to cause the connector housing 10 to move. , 20 are prevented from interfering with each other and the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is prevented from being abnormally deformed.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment,
The short circuit terminal fitting 30 according to the first embodiment is provided with the excessive bending prevention piece 40 and the sliding surface 42. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the structures, operations, and effects will be omitted.

The mounting hole 36 in the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 of this embodiment is formed by cutting and raising a part of the bottom plate portion 31, and the portion cut and raised to form the mounting hole 36 is excessive. It is the bending prevention piece 40. The excessive deflection preventing piece 40 rises obliquely forward, its rising edge faces the lower surface of the support portion 33, and foreign matter that has entered the short-circuiting terminal metal accommodating chamber 24 can remove the short-circuiting terminal metal piece 30. Even when it is strongly pressed downward, the excessive bending prevention piece 40 prevents excessive bending beyond the elastic limit of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30.

Further, the guided portion 38 of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30
Is formed with an extending portion 41 that extends obliquely rearward from the upper edge of the extending portion 41. The side of the extending portion 41 to which the guide member (not shown in FIG. 9) 16 is engaged. Is the sliding surface 42. By providing the sliding surface 42 in this manner, the guide member 16 and the guided portion 38 are engaged with each other by a smooth surface contact. Therefore,
There is no risk that the guide member 16 will be caught on the angular cutting edge of the guided portion 38, and the displacement operation of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 can be performed smoothly.

<Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, a pair of entanglement prevention pieces 45, 45 are provided on the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 of the second embodiment. Since the other configurations are the same as those in the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations, and the description of the structure, operation, and effect is omitted.

The entanglement preventing pieces 45, 45 provided on the short-circuiting terminal fitting of this embodiment include extending portions 45A, 45A extending forward from both left and right side portions of the front end edge of the bottom plate portion 31, and the extending ends 45A, 45A. It is composed of rising portions 45B and 45B which are raised from the front end of 45A. The pair of entanglement prevention pieces 45, 45 are arranged in the left-right direction to form a pair of hanging parts 3
It is arranged so as to correspond to 5, 35, and therefore,
The distance between the entanglement prevention pieces 45, 45 is the same as the distance between the hanging parts 35, 35, and the guide portion 16 can enter. In addition, the rising portions 45B of the entanglement prevention pieces 45, 45,
45B is located in front of the guided portion 38 connecting the hanging parts 35, 35 to each other.

Since the entanglement preventing pieces 45, 45 are provided, a large opening is not formed between the guided portion 38 and the bottom plate portion 31 on the front side of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30, so that in the parts feeder. When supplying the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 to the female connector housing 20, the entanglement between the short-circuit terminal fittings 30, 30 is less likely to occur.

When the guide member 16 enters between the hanging parts 35, 35 due to the fitting of the connector housings 10, 20, the guide member 16 has a pair of entanglement prevention pieces 4.
Since it enters in the space between 5, 45, the interference between the guide member 16 and the entanglement preventing pieces 45, 45 is avoided. Furthermore, when the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is elastically bent downward, the rising portions 45 of the entanglement prevention pieces 45, 45.
Since B and 45B are arranged in front of the guided portion 38 and mutual interference is avoided, the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 interferes with elastic bending due to the interference with the entanglement prevention pieces 45 and 45. Never come.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition to the above, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, as means for elastically displacing the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 in the direction away from the connection terminal fitting 21, a guide is provided obliquely to the fitting direction of both connector housings 10, 20. The case where the surface 17 is formed on the guide member 16 has been described, but according to the present invention, the guide surface may be provided on the guided portion of the short-circuit terminal fitting.

(2) In Embodiments 2 and 3, the case where both the excessive deflection preventing piece 40 and the sliding surface 42 are provided has been described, but according to the present invention, the excessive deflection preventing piece and the sliding surface are provided. The configuration may be such that only one of them is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a male connector housing according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the female connector housing according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partial front view of the male connector housing according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partial front view of the female connector housing according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state during mating of the male and female connector housings according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a mating completed state of both male and female connector housings in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a short-circuit terminal fitting according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a guide member and an insulating member according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Male connector housing 11 ... Male connection terminal metal fitting 15 ... Insulating member 16 ... Guide member 17 ... Guide surface 20 ... Female connector housing 21 ... Female connection terminal metal fitting 30 ... Short circuit terminal metal fitting 38 ... Guided part 42 ... Sliding surface

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A pair of connector housings provided with connection terminal fittings that can be connected to each other, and when the two connector housings are separated, the plurality of connection terminal fittings are short-circuited in one connector housing. When the terminal fittings are elastically short-circuited, the insulating member provided on the other connector housing enters between the connection terminal fitting and the short-circuiting terminal fitting of the one connector housing when the two connector housings are in a fitted state. In the connector in which the short circuit between the connection terminal fittings is released, the insulating member is provided between the connection terminal fitting and the short-circuit terminal fitting during the fitting operation of the both connector housings. Prior to entering the structure, the structure for displacing the short-circuit terminal fitting in the direction of separating from the connecting terminal fitting. Connector, characterized in that the the. 2. The other connector housing engages with the short-circuiting terminal metal fitting before the insulating member enters between the connecting terminal metal fitting and the short-circuiting terminal metal fitting when the two connector housings are engaged with each other. A guide member for mating is provided, a guide surface is formed in the guide member in an oblique direction with respect to the fitting direction of the both connector housings, and the short-circuiting terminal fitting is engaged with the guide surface. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is formed. 3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the short-circuit terminal fitting is formed with a sliding surface that makes a smooth surface contact with the guiding surface.